Indicator for cash drawer bill compartments



- J. E- WELSHEIMER INDICATOR FOR CASH DRAWERBILL COMPARTMENTS Filed Feb. l8, 1955 Oct. 23, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m km E .mE E Nw N m m m T w. m E E S in J United States Patent INDICATOR FOR CASH DRAWER BILL COMPARTMENTS Jesse E. Welsheimer, Springfield, Ohio Application February 18, 1955, Serial No. 489,061

6 Claims. (Cl. 116'114) This invention relates to an indicator for the bill compart'ments of cash drawers and the like.

The invention has as a general objective the provision of a mechanical indicator for cash drawer bill compartments which will be automatically operated to record the movement of the bill retaining clips in the several bill compartments of the cash drawer in such manner as to establish a temporary record of the denomination of bills placed in the drawer during each time the drawer is opened. Thus there .are unscrupulous persons who will give a clerk or teller, for example a cash register operator, a certain denomination bill, and then after the operator has made change for that bill, will argue that a larger denomination bill was submitted to the operator than was actually so. Such persons tend to operate in places where they can arouse the indignation of other customers, and thus bring pressure to bear upon the cash register operator, by causing inconvenience to the others, for example those waiting in line at a check out station in a grocery store. In the absence of a record of the denomination of the bill which he was given, theoperator may have to concede to the demands of :such person and make up the difference in change rather than attempt to argue and prolong the general unpleasantness.

According to the present invention, cash drawers of cash registers and the like may be equipped with a device which automatically records the movements of the bill hold-down members in the several bill compartments of the cash drawers even after the drawer has been closed. While it :is possible to withdraw bills from the cornpartments without moving the hold-down members, in order to place a bill within a given compartment it is necessary to lift the hold-down member in -that compart-ment and insert the bill in place. Such lifting of a hold-down member will, in accordance with this invention, actuate an indicating or signal member visible outside the cash drawer, and since the bill thus placed in the drawer will be the largest, that is, the one from which change is being made, the signal member will indicate the denomination of the bill handed to the operator. Also, after the cash drawer has been closed, it is desirable to maintain the signal member in its energized or indicating position, thereby precluding any argument such-as discussed above from arising after the operator has closed the drawer and is no longer able to -'determine in which compartment he placed a particular bill.

his therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an indicating means for cash drawers which will temporarily record the movement of the thold-downmembers in the bill compartments of the drawer and thereby provide a record of bills placed in the cash drawer.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a device wherein the record is kept by means of .a visible signaling device which is maintained in its energized position during subsequent closing of the cash drawer.

A further object of the invention .is to provide such a device wherein the signaling means is maintained after the cash drawer is closed, but is deenergized upon the 2,767,679 Patented Oct. 23, 1956 2 next opening movement of the cash drawer to index the recording mechanism in preparation for the next change making operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cash drawer provided with the indicating mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial perspective view of that portion of the indicating mechanism which is carried in the base for the cash drawer;

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of a portion of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of that part of the indicating mechanism carried on the cash drawer;

Fig. 5 is a partial section through the cash drawer and base, showing the indicating device of this invention before the bill hold-down member has been moved;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial section showing the relative position of the drawer and base mechanisms in the same position as Fig. 5;

'Fig. 7 is a partial section similar to Fig. 5 showing movement of the bill hold-down member and energization of theindicating means;

Fig. 8 is a partial section similar to Fig. 6 showing the movement of the mechanism upon energiz'ation in accordance with Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged partial section showing the relative position of the base and drawer mechanisms as the drawer is closed; and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged partial section similar to Fig. .9 showing the indexing movement as the cash drawer is opened.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1 shows an indicating device in accordance with this invention incorporated in a cash register indicated generally at 10, and having a base 12 within which a drawer 13 is mounted for opening and closing movement in the base. The drawer 13 is divided in the usual manner into a number of .coin compartments 15 and a plurality of bill compartments 16. In each bill compartment there is provided a pivotally mounted hold-down member or finger 17 having an associated spring 18, which acts in cooperation with the edge of base 12 as an over-center lock to maintain the fingers 17 either in a normally lowered position, wherein they press against the bills in the compartment, or in a fully raised position, such as indicated by the raised hold-down member of the five dollar bill compartment in Fig. 1, to permit access to the bills. In the normal arrangement of a cash drawer there are four bill compartments containing from right to left, bills of one dollar, five dollar, ten dollar and twenty dollar denominations, respectively. In accordance with the present invention an indicating window 19 is provided in base 12 for each of these bill compartments to permit observation of signaling members which will be described in detail below.

Figs. 2 3 and 4 show mechanism as provided by the invention for each bill compartment, and it is to be understood that this mechanism is completely duplicated for each bill compartment. However, for purposes of simplification, and to permit the use of a larger drawing scale, only one complete mechanism is illustrated in these figures. in Fig. 2 a portion of base 12 has been cut away to reveal a frame 21) which is mounted in the base, preferably in a position wherein it will be substantial ly vertically aligned with its associated bill compartment '16 when the cash drawer 13 is fully opened. shaft 22 is journaled within opposite sides of frame 20,,

and carries at one end a stop arm 23 which is. fixed to shaft 22 and engages a suitable stud 24 fixed to frame 20. A torsion spring 25 urges shaft 22 in a direction of rotation such that stop arm 23 is normally pressed against stud 24,1in counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. -8, and the shaft 22 is thereby held in its indexed or non-indicating position. Also fixed to shaft 22 is a driven lever 26 which is adapted to. rotate the shaft against the; influence 'of spring 25 in a manner to be more fully described below. A ratchet wheel 27 is also fixed to shaft 22, and hastwo teeth 27' and 27 extending therefrom and engaged by a pawl 30, which is more clearly seen in Fig. 3 as being pivotally. mounted at 31. to an H--shaped cross bar 32 on frame 20 and urged by a spring 33 into engagement with ratchet wheel 27.

To release pawl 30 from the ratchet wheel, there is provided a bell crank 35.pivoted at 36 to cross bar 32, and having an upwardly extended bifurcated end 37 which embraces and engages pawl 30, resting against a cam surface 38 on the under side of the pawl. A roller 40 is carried by the other end of bell crank 35 and provides the actuating means by which the bell crank may be pivoted or rocked to release pawl 30.

Fig. 4 shows the driving mechanism for shaft 22, which is illustrated as being mounted upon a rear wall 45 of drawer 15. It is to be understood, however, that this driving mechanism can be supported in any suitable manner within the drawer, provided that this mechanism is operatively aligned with the frame 20 of the driven mechanism on shaft 22 when the cash drawer is fully opened. The drive mechanism includes a supporting frame 46 within which a shaft 47 is rotatably mounted. An arm 50 is fixed at one end to shaft 47 and carries a roller 51 at its other or outer end. Also fixed to shaft 47 is a driving lever 52 which is connected with its associated hold-down member 17 by a stiff wire 55 extending within spring 18 (more fully seen in Figs. 5 and 7), which may for example be thin piano wire or the like. Arm 50 is vertically aligned with respect to driven lever 26 when the cash drawer is fully opened and the driven and driving mechanisms are in operative relation.

Also carried in frame 46 is the mechanism for resetting the indicating mechanism, which includes a gate-like member 57 mounted for rocking movement on a stub shaft 58 and normally held against a stop plate 59 (Fig. 6) by a spring 60. Extending from the upper surface of gate 57 is a contact bar 62 which is vertically aligned with the roller 40and passes beneath roller 40 during opening and closing movements of the cash drawer to cooperate with roller 40, bellcrank 35 and pawl 30 to reset or index the indicating mechanism in a manner which will be presently described.

In accordance with the invention, whenever one of the hold-down members 17 is raised to permit a bill to be placed thereunder, its associated shaft will be rocked, and an appropriate signal will appear in its associated window 19. Such signal may be of a variety of convenient types, including an electric signal light if desired, and it is shown as a mechanical signal arm 65 fixed on shaft 22 and having an appropriate numeral 66 on its front face so that when the shaft is rocked in clockwise direction asviewed in Figs. 5 land 7, this arm will swing up to register its numeral 66 with the adjacent window 19.

The operation of the invention is illustrated sequentiallyin Figs. 5-10. ThusFig. 5 shows parts. of the indicating device in the positions which they occupy as the cash drawer is opened, and before any of the holddown members have been activated to remove bills from the cash drawer. As an appropriate hold-down member 17 is lifted (Fig. 7), the spring 18 acts to hold the member in raised position once this spring has moved past the pivot point of the holddown member. The relatively stiffwire 55, due to the shortening of the spring 18, pushes against driving lever 52 land rotates shaft 47 in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 7. Arm 50 likewise rotates, and roller 51 engages the driven lever 26 and rotates it in clockwise direction, with consequent clockwise rotation of driven shaft 22. Thus shaft 22 is rotated against the urging of spring 25, and signal member 65 is moved to its energized position, where the numeral 66 thereon is visible through window 19 as shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 6 shows the position of the ratchet wheel 27 and other associated parts prior to the rotation of the shaft 22, with the end of pawl 30 engaged beneath the tooth 27 of the ratchet wheel and held in place by the action of spring 33 in combination with the action of torsion spring pushing the tooth 27 against pawl 30. In Fig. 8 shaft 22 and ratchet wheel 27 are seen in the revolved or energized condition, comparable to the position of the other parts shown in Fig. 7. At this time the ratchet wheel has rotated clockwise through approximately 90 and pawl is now engaged under tooth 27". Again the force of spring 33 holds the pawl in place under the tooth, in cooperation with the force of torsion spring 25 urging the tooth toward the pawl.

Thus upon lifting of a holddown member 17, an appropriate associated signaling member 65 will be energized and will be maintained in the energized condition by locking of pawl 30 and ratchet wheel 27 even though the hold-down member may be subsequently moved.

It is advisable to maintain the signaling member in energized condition when the cash drawer is closed, thereby temporarily to record which of the bill hold-down members have been moved. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide for the automatic indexing or deenergizing of the signaling members at some time previous to the complete opening of the cash drawer for the next change making sequence. This result is obtained by the controlled operation of the bell crank and its associated parts.

Thus while the drawer is closing after change has I been made, the gate 57 and its contact bar 62 will pass beneath roller 40 without moving this roller so as to rock.

bell crank 35. This operation is seen in Fig. 9, wherein the drawer 15 is moving to the right, that is, in a closing direction as indicated by the arrow. As the contact bar 62 engages roller 40, the spring 60 is flexed, due to the combined resistance of spring 33 on the pawl and spring 25 on the shaft 22 acting to hold tooth 27" against the pawl. The combined forces of springs 33 and 25 are such that they exceed the strength of spring 60, and gate 57 pivots about its stub shaft 58, as seen in Fig. 9, permitting the contact bar 62 to slide along the lower surface of roller 40 without lifting it, and consequently without rocking bell crank 35. The signal lever 65 will therefore remain operated or energized even after the drawer is closed, and its numeral or other marker will remain visible as shown by the numeral 5" in Fig. 2.

On a subsequent opening movement of drawer 15, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 10, the contact bar 62 strikes roller 40. Gate 57 is held against clockwise rotation about stub shaft 58 by the stop plate 59, and thus the force of the outwardly moving drawer is applied to roller 40, andbell crank 35 is rocked about its pivot point 36 in a counterclockwise direction. The bifurcated end 37 of the bell crank rides against the cam surface 38 of pawl 30 and forces the pawl to rotate against its spring 33 and ratchetwheel 27. This movement of the pawl is enough to permit it to clear tooth 27" on the ratchet wheel and thus free shaft 22 for a moment, during which torsion spring 25 acts to rotate shaft 22 in a counterclockwise direction and deenergize signal member 65. Since the contact of bar 62 and roller 40 is momentary, taking place before the drawer is fully opened, the motion I of bell crank 35 will be with a snap-like action, so that immediately after the bar 62 passes beneath roller 40 and the pawl 30 is freed, the shaft 22 will begin to rotate, and the pawl spring 33 will, urge the pawl back against ratchet wheel 27 picking up tooth 27 during the deenergizing movement of driven shaft 22. In any event, the stop 23 will engage stud '24 to prevent rotation of shaft 22 beyond the deenergized position seen in Fig. 2.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an indicating means for the bill compartments of cash drawers which is simple and sure in operation, and which may be readily applied to existing cash drawers, cash registers and the like. The device acts to record the denomination of bills placed in the cash drawer, that is the denomination of the bill from which change is being made, and temporarily maintains this record after the cash drawer has been closed and until such time as the drawer is again opened for a further change making operation. Thus any question as to the denomination of the bill which was changed can be quickly settled even after the drawer has been closed.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an indicating device for cash drawer bill compartments having a bill hold-down member in each bill compartment, the combination of a signal device visible when said cash drawer is closed and including normallly deenergized individual signal members for each said bill compartment, means for operatively connecting said signal members with respective said hold-down members to provide for energizing of a selected said signal member upon lifting of its associated said hold-down member, means for maintaining previously energized said signal members in energized condition upon return movement of said hold-down members and subsequent closing of said cash drawer, and means operative uplon subsequent opening of said cash drawer to deenergize the previously energized said signal members.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a cash drawer divided into a plurality of bill compartments, a bill hold-down member for each said compartment, a signal device including individual signal members for each said compartment, means operatively connecting each of said hold-down members with a respective said signal member, means responsive to lifting of each said hold-down member for energizing its associated said signal member, means for holding all energized said signal members in energized condition during return movement of said hold-down members and subsequent closing of said drawer, and means operative upon subsequent opening of said drawer for deenergizing a ll previously energized said signal members.

3. In an indicating device of the character described the combination of a base, a cash drawer mounted for opening and closing movement in said base, a bill compartment in said drawer having a pivotally mounted holddown member therein for retaining bills in said compartment, a driving unit carried by said drawer, a driven unit on said base arranged to be operatively associated with said driving unit in the open position of said drawer, said driven unit including a normally deenergized signal member, means responsive to lifting of said hold-down member for actuating said driving unit and energizing said signal member, means for maintaining energization of said signal member during closing of said drawer and consequent separation of said driven and driving units, and means for deenergizing said signal member upon opening of said drawer.

4. In an indicating device of the character described the combination of a base, a cash drawer mounted for opening and closing movement on said base, a plurality of bill compartments in said drawer each having a pivotally mounted hold-down member therein for retaining bills in said compartments, a driving unit carried by said 6 drawer for each said bill compartment, driven units' on said base arranged to be operatively associated with respective said drive units in the open position of said drawer", each said driven unit including a normally deenergized signal member, means responsive to lifting of said hold-down members for actuating the associated said drive unit and energizing the associated saidsignall mem= ber, means for maintaining energization of all energized said signal members during subsequent movements of said hold-down member and during closing of said drawer with consequent separation of said driven and driving units, and means for deenergizing any previously energized said signal members upon opening of said drawer.

5. In an indicating device of the character described the combination of a base, a cash drawer mounted for opening and closing movement in said base, a bill compartment in said drawer having a hold-down member therein for retaining bills in said compartment, a driving shaft carried by said drawer, a lever fixed to said shaft, means connecting said lever and said holddown member for translating raising and lowering movement of said hold-down member into rocking movement of said lever, a driving arm fixed to said driving shaft for rocking movement upon rocking of said driving shaft by said lever, a driven shaft rotatably mounted in said base, stop means for preventing rotation of said shaft beyond a predetermined point, a torsion spring constantly urging said driven shaft against said stop means, a ratchet wheel fixed to said driven shaft, a pawl carried by said base and urged into engagement with said ratchet wheel, a driven arm fixed to said driven shaft and adapted to be operatively aligned with said driving arm on opening of said drawer, said driven arm being engaged and rocked by said driving arm upon rocking movement thereof caused by movement of said hold-down member to rotate said driven shaft against said torsion spring with consequent advancement of said ratchet wheel relative to said pawl, normally deenergized indicating means operatively associated with said driven shaft, said indicating means being energized upon said rotational movement of said driven shaft, said ratchet and said pawl acting to maintain said indicating means in energized condition, and means acting only during opening movement of said drawer to release said pawl and provide for rotation of said driven shaft by said torsion spring to deenergize said indicating means.

6. In an indicating device of the character described the combination of a base, a cash drawer mounted for opening and closing movement in said base, a bill compartment in said drawer having a hold-down member therein for retaining bills in said compartment, a driving shaft carried by said drawer, a lever fixed to said shaft, means connecting said lever and said hold-down member for translating raising and lowering movement of said hold-down member into rocking movement of said lever, a driving arm fixed to said driving shaft for rocking movement upon rocking of said driving shaft by said lever, a driven shaft rotatably mounted in said base, stop means for preventing rotation of said shaft beyond a predetermined point, a torsion spring constantly urging said driven shaft against said stop means, a ratchet wheel fixed to said driven shaft, a pawl carried by said base and urged into engagement with said ratchetwheel, a driven arm fixed to said driven shaft and adapted to be operatively aligned with said driving arm on opening of said drawer, said driven arm being engaged and rocked by said driving arm upon rocking movement thereof caused by movement of said hold-down member to rotate said driven shaft against said torsion spring with consequent advancement of said ratchet wheel relative to said pawl, normally deenergized indicating means operatively associated with said driven shaft, said indicating means being energized upon said rotational movement of said driven shaft, said ratchet and said pawl acting to maintain said indicating means in energized condition, a bell crank pivotally mounted in said base and having one arm engaged with said pawl for releasing- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hodel Dec. 13, 1949 Stern Feb. 24, 1953 

